Rotary engine.



No. 634,5". Patented Oct. Ifl-,- I899;

- A. TAYLOR.

ROTARY ENGINE.

' (Applicm filad m 2, 1898.) (no law) V 3 Sheets-Sheet l,

M w-Jaw. a fiwefizzn a: Noam: versus w..ma1o-umo., wasmuc'mx o cPatented 0 A.TAYL0R.

ROTARY ENGINE.

A umim and lay a, 1898.)

(I0 Iodel'.)

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Nu. 634,5": Patented Och"), 1899:

A. TAYLOR. RUTARYENGINE. (Apwmion and! a, was.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 (No Model.)

UNITED. STAT OFFICE.

ABIJAH TAYLOR, on cnIcAeo, ILLINOIS, 'Assienon or oxnnALF TO MnswELoI-I,or wnnsrnn CITY, IOWA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,551 1, datedOctober 10, 1899.

Application filed. May 2, 12 3; Serial No. 472,723. (No model.) 7

To all whmn it may concern.-

-Be it known that I, ABIJAH TAYLOR, of Chicago, in the county of Cook,intheState of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Rotary Engines, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary steam-engines, and"more particularlya longitudinal sectional elevation of arotary point ofview,

engine embodying my invention, the section being taken on linel 1 ofFig.2. Fig. 2 is a-trans'verse sectional elevation of the'same, taken online 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similarview taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.Fig. 4

is an end elevation ofthe rotary piston" re-' moved from the cylinder.Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 6 is a longitudi-'nalsection of the rotary piston and shafts, taken'on'line 6 6 of Fig. 2:Fig. 7 is aside elevation of the same, taken from'the same thepiston-wings being removed. Fig. 8- 's an outside viewof one of thepiston-wings.'- Fig.4) is an'enlarged detail of a-portion ofthe end ofthe'same. Fig. 10 is an inner view of one of the exterior plates of thepiston. Figs. 11and'12 are de tail views of the inner shaft, showing,respectively, the steam and exhaust openings.

Figs. 13 and let are similar views showing steam port openings of shapessomewhat modified from those shown in Fig. 11. Figs. 15 and 16 aredetail sections on lines 1515 and 16 16 of Fig. 1. Fig. 17 is a detailview of a modified form of steam-tight packing.

A designates the base-plate of the engine, B B supporting-standardssecured to said base-plate and rising above the same, and G thesteam-cylinder, which is revolubly supported at the upper end'of thestandards B B by means of inward-projecting bosses B, which engagecentral circular apertures c,

formed in the heads G of said cylinder.

Within' the cylinder 0 is provided a cylinmanner.

' of the cylinder,

drical piston .D of less diameter than the interior of'the cylinder 0,but equal in lengththereto, each end of said piston closely engaging theadjacent cylinder-headiC. Said g piston D is rotatively supported withinthe cylinder. 0 by means of a hollow shaft E,

which engages a longitudinal central bore in said piston and is rigidlysecured therein by means of keys 6 or in any other suitable The ends ofthe shaftE extend out of the 'cylinderO through apertures c'in the headsC and, as herein shown, are supported in suitable journal-bearings Bformed in the bosses B, saidbearings B being located sufficientlyeccentric to the common axis of sa dbosses B and cylinder 0 to bring aportion of the perimeter of the piston D into contact withthe interiorof the cylinder. In

this instance said I journal-bearings are located vertically above saidcommon axis of the bosses and cylinder, bringing the piston D intocontactwith the interior surface of the cylinder along'a line at the topof each {and in a vertical plane through th'eir axis. Said rotary pistonD is provided at its per- .imeter with oneor more extensible wings D,(in' this instance" four in number,) herein shown as pivoted alongtheirfront edges to the perimeter of the piston and adapted to fold intoconvenient recesses in said piston as they "approach and passthe pointof contact of said piston with said, interior surface said wings Bbeing, formed with curved exterior surfaces, so that when folded intotheir respective recesses they form a continuation of thenornially-cylindricv perimeter of the piston D. Between each twoadjacent wings the piston D is provided with a radial'port'd, leadingfrom the exterior of the piston to th'e interior of the hollow shaft E.As herein shown, the said ports 61 extend nearly the full length of thepiston D-and a're placed at right angles to each other, the outer endsof said ports being directly beneath the wings D. The steamadmittedforces the wings outward against the wall of the cylinder andsets the piston to rotating, and since the cylinder itself is free torevolve the friction between it and the piston and piston-wingsissubstantially reduced to the friction of "rolling contact. The use ofgearing between the cylintube or pipe F, which is divided by a partitionF into two separate compartments F and F gadapted to communicate,respectively,

with the steam supply and exhaust. Said par-' tition F extends obliquelyacross the tube F between points adjacent to the opposite ends of thepiston D, and said tube F is provided on the oppositesides of saidpartition with port-openings f and f, the former opening out of thesteam-chamber F and the latter out of theexhaust-chamber F of the pipeF. The shape of said port-openings maybe varied as desired. In Figs. ll,13, and 14 I have shown three different shapes and arrangements of thesteam-openings]; that shown in Fig. 13 being the one used in theparticular engine illustrated. The exhaust-opening f will ordinarily bemade in the shape of a single-elongated aperture, as shown in Fig. 12.Obviously with such construction each of the ports d will, by therotation of the piston D, be brought into communication alternately withthe steam and exhaust openings f and f in the tube F. The steam-openingsf be ing placed on the upper and forward side of the pipe, as shown inFig. 2, steam will be first admitted to each port cl substantially assaid port passes the point of contact of the perimeter of the pistonwith the interior of the cylinder and will continue to be admitted untilthe inner end of the port -cl has passed by the steam-openingf. Thesteam thus admitted to the port d will obviously force out the adjacentpiston-wing D, maintain the outer edge of said wing in constant contactwith the inner wall of the cylinder O, and cause the piston D to rotate,said steam acting by direct pressure up to the point of cutoif andcontinuing thereafter to act by expansion until the port d shall havereached the exhaust-opening), whereupon said steam will pass off throughthe exhaust-passage F As herein shown, the said exhaust takes placeshortly after the wing D reaches its lowermost position. Obviously eachof the wings D will in succession pass through the cycle of action thusdescribed, each receiving a new actuating impulse at each revolution,and as each of the wings D acts through substantially half of eachrevolution it will be obvious that the piston D and sh aft E will atevery moment be receiving the rotation influence of two of said wings. Asuitable driving-pulley G, keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to theprojecting end of the shaft E, furnishes a convenient means of takingoff the power. Obviously the other end of the shaft E might also beextended and provided with a second driving-pulley.

It will be evident that with the construction above described thecut-off may be made to take place either earlier or later, as desired,by oscillating the tube F, so as to vary the position of thesteam-opening f. In this instance I have provided means for rocking saidtube F by hand, said means consisting, as herein shown, of a hand-leverF, clamped to the projecting end of the tube F and pro- Vided at itslower end with a thumb-screw F which engages a nut F, sliding in the areshaped groove 1) in the adjacent face of the adjacent standard B. "Whenthe thumb-screw F is loosened, it will be obvious that the tube F maybereadily oscillated by the lever F to provide either a late or earlyout-off, as desired. tained, the partsmay be locked in position by againtightening the thn mb-screw. Obviously such regulation might, however,be accomplished automatically by operatively connecting any suitableform of governor with the tube F to oscillate the same. It will beevident that with such construction any degree of expansion of the steammay he obtained by regulating the amount admitted behind each piston-wing at each revolution. F urthermore, owing to the crescent shape of thespace between the piston"D and cylinder C, I am enabled, by providingthe admission-point at the tapered end of said space, to secure a veryclean cut-off, while admitting but a small amount of steam. By hingingthe pistonwings at their front edges they are drawn around the cylinderwith but little friction and have no opportunity or tendency to bind orstick.

Referring here more particularly to the details of the constructionherein illustrated, the standards B B consist of two metallic barsprovided with inwardly-extendinglower ends adapted to overlap eachother, the overlapping portions being herein shown secured together andto the base-plate A by means of a clamping-bolt ct. Saidinwardly-extending lower ends are also herein shown as perforated forthe passage of the foundation-bolts a, by which means they are furthersecurely held at the base-plate and foundation. The upper ends of saidstandards B are shown as bent inwardly to support the bosses B, which asa simple and efficient construction are of babbitt or similar metal,secured to the inwardly-extending ends of the standards by being castabout the same. In this instance the bosses B are cut off on ahorizontal plane through the axis of the shaft E, the portion above saidplane being omitted and the bearing-surfaces B for said shaft beingmerely half-boxes formed in the lower portions of said bosses.Obviously, however, the upper portions of said bosses might be filledin, if desired.

As afurtherimprovement that part of each of the bosses B immediatelyadjacent to its bearing-surface B is formed of a separate piece or box13 recessed in the body of the boss. A key B is inserted in a suitablerecess beneath the center of the box B and by driving in said keyscompensation may be When the proper adjustment is ob-' made for the wearof the shaft E in its bearings. Such construction also provides meansfor adjusting the contact between the upper portion of the piston D andthe interior of the cylinder 0, it being obvious that by lifting theshaft more or less by means of the keys B the piston may be made toengage the cylinder along the line of contact with a greater or lessdegree of pressure, as desired. It is designed in practice to have suchpressure sufificient to maintain a constant rolling contact between thepiston and cylinder, whereby their peripheral speeds will be equal andthe friction of the parts thereby reduced to a minimum. Obviously insuch case the cylinder practically rests upon the piston D, and itsweight is supported by the babbitt bearing-surfaces B The cylinder-headsC are herein shown as adj ustably secured in place by being screwed intothe ends of the cylinder C, set-screws 0 being provided, by means ofwhich they may be locked when in the desired position. In practice saidheads are screwed in until they strike the ends of the piston D, thenunscrewed a fraction of a turn to permit free movement of the partswithout material leakage, and finally are locked in place by thesetscrews c. To further provide against leakage between the heads 0' andthe ends of the piston D, said heads are herein shown recessed on theirinner faces adjacent to the apertures c to receive annular packings-cwhich engage the ends of the piston D and are pressed against the sameby suitable springs a providedin suitable recess 0 and tending to forcesaid packing inward. It is obvious, however, that such packing might beprovided on ends of the piston D and made to engage the faces of theheads 0, if so de sired. Said heads 0 are also herein shown as providedwith annular flanges O ,surround in g the central openings 0 andfurnishing an additional length of bearing on the bosses B.

As a convenient construction of the piston D the latter is herein shownas formed of a hollow cylindrical shell D having end walls D and radialrib-walls D connected at their inner ends by a suitable hub D withinwhich the shaft E is keyed, the ports d, hereinbefore described, leadingfrom the exterior of the shell D to the interior of the hub D throughthe radial walls D Longitudinal plates D secured to the outside of theshell D by means of screws d or in other suitable manner, serve toseparate the pistonwings D, and said wings are adapted to fold withinthe spaces between said plates D Said piston-wings D, as herein shown,are made of uniform thickness equal'to the thickness of the plates D andare bent to the radius of 'the shell D, so that when folded down uponthe same their outer faces form a I substantially continuous cylindricalsurface with the other faces of said plates D To provide a convenienthinge connection 7 between the wings D and the shell D said wings areherein shown as provided along their forward edges with inwardly-proectin g longitudinal ribs D of substantially circular cross-section,which engage-corresponding grooves in the shell D and are movably heldtherein by the overlapping edges of the plates D Said ribs'D are hereinshown as formed by wrapping one edge of a plate (1 about an inner rod orcore (i and then slipping a slotted brass tube or bushing (1* over thewrapped edge of said plate d leaving the straight edge of said plateprojecting through the slot of said bushing. Said free edge of the plated is then readily attached to the beveled edge of the wing D by screws11 or in other suitable manner.

To permit the inner tube or pipe F and inclosing shaft E to fit closelyin those parts adjacent to the steam and exhaust opening f andf' and atthe same time to reduce the friction of such parts to a minimum, I haveherein shown said shaft E as recessed to receive a bushing e of babbittor similar material, said bushing being slightly longer than the steamand exhaust openings f and f and being apertured opposite the ports 01to permit the free action of the same. Leakage between said tube andouter shaft is further prevented at each end by a stuffing-box E,

herein shown as having a screw-threaded engagement with the inner tube Fand provided with an inward-proj ectin g sleeve E inclosing the end ofthe shaft E. The end surface of said shaft E is cut in on a bevel toreceivethe beveled end of an inner bushing E of babbitt or similarmaterial, provided with the stuffin g-box E and forced against the endof the shaft by suitable springs e placed behind said bushing. Byscrewing up the studing -box E the bushing E may be forced against theend of the shaft with any desired degree of pressure, causing the thinbeveled 1 edge of the bushing to form a steam-tight e11- gagement withboth the inner tube and the outer shaft.

In Fig. 17 I have shown a modified form of packing which may be employedto prevent leakage between the shaft E and the inner tube F. In thisconstruction the said inner tube F is provided with an annular recess,

within which is inserted a section b of closelycoiled spring-wirerectangularin cross-section and made of hard-drawn brass or similarmaterial. Said coil f when placed within the annular recess and insertedwithin the shaft E willexpand or spring outward against the innersurface of said shaft and form a steamtight joint therewith.

While primarily intended for use with steam as the actuating fluid, itwill be obvious that my improved engine may be operated by and will actwith equally great efficiency with compressed air or gas, the operationunder such circumstances being precisely the same as whensteam isemployed.

I claim as my invention 1. A rotary engine comprising arotatablysupported cylinder, a cylindric piston rotatably mounted withinand eccentrically of said cylinder and in contact with its cylindricsurface at one point, and folding piston-wings hinged to said piston andadapted to fold in flush with the cylindric surface thereof,substantially as described.

2. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder, journal-bearings rotatablysupporting said cylinder, a cylindric piston rotatably mounted Withinand eccentrically of said cylinder and in contact with its cylindricsurface at one point, piston-wings hinged to the piston and adapted tofold flush with the cylindric surface thereof, a tube extending throughan axial aperture in said piston and provided with steam and exhaustpassages, and radial ports in the piston adapted to communicatealternately with said steam and exhaust passages as the piston rotates,substantially as described.

3. The combination with a supportingframe, of the cylinder 0 rotatablyjournaledin said frame, the oylindric piston D mounted upon the shaft Ewhich is also rotatably journaled in said frame but eccentrically withrelation to the cylinder 0 so that the cylindric surfaces of the pistonand cylinder are in contact at one point, piston-Wings D hinged to saidpiston, ports (2 leading through from the interior of the hollow shaftto the exterior of the piston beneath the folding wings, tube Fextending through the hollow shaft and proof two witnesses.

ABIJAI'I TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

TAYLOR E. BROWN, G. W. HIGGINS, J r.

